37. Fill up the blank:

ٱلسَّبْتِ فَقُلْنَا لَهُمْ كُونُوا۟ ................. خَـٰسِـِٔينَ

Answer: قِرَدَةً

37. We said to them: “Be you …………. despised and rejected”.

Answer: Apes or monkeys.

                       ﺑﺴـــــــﻢِﷲِﺍﻟﺮَّﺣْﻤَﻦِﺍلرَّﺣِﻴﻢ                                                                                               

There was a town near the sea called Eilat (presently located in Israel). Their main living was fishing. Many Jews (Children of Israel) lived there. Children of Israel were commanded to worship on Sabbath day (Saturday) fully and not to indulge with worldy life. Allah says in Quran, "We said to them, ‘Do not transgress on the Sabbath’ and We took from them a solemn covenant." (4:154). But many of those people were involved in doing wrong things. They were very tricky.

So Allah gave them a trial. Lots of their fish came to the surface on Saturday and no fish appear on other days. So they were tempted to catch fish with trick. They cleverly spread their fish net and ropes and dug pools of water near the sea, in the evening of Friday. The fish that came out on Saturday were caught in the net, ropes and pools.

When Sabbath was over, they take those fishes from there. They said boldly, “We were not fishing on Saturday. We never disobeyed and never transgressed the Allah’s command.” So Allah cursed them, to "Be apes, despised and rejected." (2:65)

Allah mentions about this incidence in Surah Araf: “And ask them about the town that was by the sea - when they transgressed in [the matter of] the sabbath - when their fish came to them openly on their Sabbath (Satur)day, and the day they had no Sabbath (that is other days of the week) they did not come to the surface. Thus We gave them trial because they were defiantly disobedient.” (7:163).

The town had two other groups of people. One group was advising the wrong doing ones not to transgress. The other group was not involved in the transgression and also not telling anything to the wrong doing transgressing people. They were asking the advising groups, "Why do you advise [or warn] a people whom Allah is [about] to destroy or to punish with a severe punishment?" And they [the advisors] said, "To be free from blame before your Lord and perhaps they may fear Him." (7:164).

And when they [i.e., those advised] forgot that by which they had been reminded, We saved those who had forbidden evil and seized those who wronged, with a wretched punishment, because they were defiantly disobeying (7:165). So when they were persistant about that which they had been forbidden, We said to them, "Be apes, despised." (7:166). In another place quran says, “Allah has cursed and with whom He became angry and made of them apes and pigs” (5:60). Ibn Khathir in his tafsir said, “The young people are converted to monkeys and the old ones are converted to swines.” The present day monkeys and pigs are not the decendants of them. Allah says that it was a lesson for others. “We made this punishment for those who were present and those who succeeded [them] and a lesson for those who fear Allah.” (2:66).

Originally Allah commanded the Children of Israel to worship God on Friday and do not be indulged in worldly life. After Musa (AS), they change that to Saturday and named as Sabbath (derived from saba means seven). They believe that their god took rest on the seventh day after ‘his’ six days of creations. For this Allah says: “The sabbath was only appointed for those who differed over it. And indeed, your Lord will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection concerning that over which they used to differ. (16:124).  Christians changed this to Sunday, a holyday. Allah chose Friday for this Ummah because it is the day the creation was finished.

These verses evoked much commotion among Jews while it was revealed. They thought these aayath were not revealed, but was made deliberately against the Jews to insult, to create hateredness and and to start a war.

'Imran bin Husain narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "In this Ummah there shall be collapsing of the earth, transformation and Qadhf." A man among the Muslims said: "O Messenger of Allah! When is that?" He said: "When singing slave-girls, music, and drinking intoxicants spread." (Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2212). This transformation will happen in this ummah as a punishment for some of their transgression and sins.

Believers! Allah will test you! Do not perform things that Allah has forbidden and provoke His anger. To save from the wrath of Allah, we muslims were commanded to recite the last two aayath of “Al-Fathiha” in every salah (Guide us along the Straight Path, the Path of those You have blessed—not those You are displeased with, or those who are astray). Believers are Blessed! Alhumdhulillah!

الحمدلله